LHC orders larger bench to hear PM Nawaz’s disqualification plea

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday ordered formation of a larger bench to hear a petition filed in 1991 that sought disqualification of the then premier Nawaz Sharif on grounds that he does not comply with Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.

The case had been pending for decades after which the court has ordered that a larger bench be formed to hear the high-profile case, since according to law, cases involving high-profile individuals such as the prime minister require at least five or seven judges on the bench.

The unavailability of the required number of judges is why the petition has been pending for so long.

According to DawnNews, there were a few occasions over the years when a larger bench was made, but then some judges opted out from hearing the case.

After the initial hearing of the case today, a two-member LHC bench requested the chief justice for a larger bench to hear the case that was filed by Ali Imran in 1991.